WILLIAMSBURG

Mid-Prairie senior Braden Hartley delivered an early blow in the Golden Hawks’ playoff battle last Friday against unbeaten and top-ranked Williamsburg.

He sacked Williamsburg quarterback Carson Huedepohl on the Raiders game-opening possession.

Later in the opening quarter, after Williamsburg did score a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead, Golden Hawks senior receiver Cain Brown jumped high into the air in the end zone to haul in a scoring pass from senior quarterback Collin Miller.

At 7-7, it was game on.

And that’s when the Raiders unleashed a punishing offensive attack that has scored 10 more touchdowns this season than any other team in all of Iowa Class 2A. Williamsburg scored touchdowns on its next seven possessions, rolled up 350 rushing yards and cruised into the 2A quarterfinals with a 63-7 victory over Mid-Prairie.

“They’re really good. They’ve got loads of talent. They do things right,” Mid-Prairie head coach Pete Cavanagh said. “They’re probably on their way to a state championship. It’s a good team. We knew we were going to be up against a good one tonight.”

Williamsburg’s 75 touchdowns rank No. 1 among all schools in Iowa classified 2A or higher.

Mid-Prairie’s second loss to Williamsburg this season ended the Golden Hawks season with a 6-4 record. Mid-Prairie’s only other losses came to No. 10-ranked Centerville, which faces Williamsburg on Friday, and Iowa City Regina Catholic.

For the third consecutive year, the Golden Hawks won their opening-round playoff game and then lost in the second round.

Following the game, the team received a Round of 16 trophy from state football officials.

“We just played a really good team tonight,” Cavanagh said. “That’s the way it is. If you’re doing things right, there’s always a chance you’re going to lose your last game because you’re in the playoffs. I’m just proud of how our guys’ season went.”

Brown’s touchdown catch came with 19 seconds left in the first half, tying the score. And that one play seemed to lift the Golden Hawks spirit along the sideline as much as it cranked up the Raiders into overdrive.

On the first play of the second quarter, Williamsburg senior running back Owen Douglas ripped a 50-yard run for a touchdown.

Douglas scored three more times in the second quarter, totaling 144 yards alone in his four touchdown runs. The anchor runner on Williamsburg’s state championship 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams last spring, Douglas blew away the Golden Hawk defenders with his dominant speed.

By the time Douglas sprinted into the end zone for his fourth touchdown, a 38-yard run with 4 minutes left in the first half, Williamsburg had bolted ahead 42-7 and a running clock was put into effect.

Williamsburg scored touchdowns on seven consecutive possessions in the second and third quarters, an assault that didn’t stop until the team’s reserves took over in the second half once the Raiders were substantially ahead.

Douglas, a First Team All-Stater last year, wound up with 158 yards on just 7 carries.

Backup quarterback Grant Hocker, a sophomore, threw for one score and ended the night with a 50-yard touchdown run in the final quarter.

Brown ended his Mid-Prairie football career with a game-high 4 pass receptions for 57 yards. Hartley ran for 63 yards on 19 carries. Miller completed 6 passes for 62 yards, then was followed by sophomore Brady Weber, who completed 2-of-4 passes for 29 yards.

Golden Hawks senior Grady Gingerich had a team-high 4 tackles.

WILLIAMSBURG 63, MID-PRAIRIE 7

Mid-Prairie      7    0    0    0  --    7

Williamsburg   7   35   7   14  --  42

SCORING SUMMARY

W: Gable Dayton 41 run (Logan Rethwisch kick)

M-P: Cain Brown 22 pass from Collin Miller (Brown kick)

W: Owen Douglas 50 run (Rethwisch kick)

W: Douglas 13 run (Rethwisch kick)

W: Clayten Steckly 21 pass from Carson Huedepohl (Rethwisch kick)

W: Douglas 43 run (Rethwisch kick)

W: Douglas 38 run (Rethwisch kick)

W: Derek Weisskopf 23 pass from Kellen Cockrell (Rethwisch kick)

W: Landon Jepson 18 pass from Grant Hocker (Rethwisch kick)

W: Hocker 50 run (Rethwisch kick)